It’s time we show leadership on food safety and prevent avoidable cancers
This month marks ten years since the World Health Organisation first confirmed that processed meats such as bacon and ham belong in the same category as tobacco and asbestos in terms of their cancer-causing potential.
It was a landmark finding, and at the time many assumed it would spark a major rethink of how these products are made and sold. Yet a decade on, as the Coalition Against Nitrites reminded us at the weekend, far too little has changed.
A group of leading scientists and doctors, including Professor Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast and four of original authors of the World Health Organisation report, have written to the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, warning that inaction is allowing people to suffer from avoidable cancers. Their message is simple: we know what causes the harm, we know safer alternatives exist and the time for delay has passed.
They are right. Nitrites, used in curing meats, promote the formation of nitrosamines, compounds with proven carcinogenic potential. These chemicals are not speculative risks; the science is clear and consistent. Other countries are already taking steps to limit or phase out nitrite use, yet the UK has not.
To be clear, this is not about telling people they can’t enjoy a bacon sandwich. It is about ensuring that what ends up on our shelves and in our children’s lunchboxes is made as safely as possible. There are now producers in Britain, Ireland and across Europe making bacon and ham without added nitrites. The technology and know-how exist. All that’s missing is the political will to act.
The experts’ letter calls for three straightforward measures: clear front-of-pack warnings to inform consumers; support for research and for smaller producers to transition to safer curing methods; and, ultimately, a plan to phase out nitrites from processed meats altogether. None of these steps should be controversial. They are proportionate, evidence-based and achievable.
I know Wes Streeting to be someone who takes public health seriously and who is genuinely committed to tackling inequalities in health outcomes. This is not about political point-scoring. But we must also be honest: Britain has slipped behind the curve. The European Union is tightening the rules on nitrite levels in food, while we have stood still. If we want the UK to be seen as a leader in food safety — and not a laggard — we need to move.
In Northern Ireland, we are rightly proud of our food industry and its global reputation for quality and traceability. But maintaining that reputation means keeping pace with the latest science. The public expect reassurance that what they eat is safe and that government will act when risks are known.
Food policy should never be reactive; it should be preventative. The Coalition Against Nitrites has performed an important public service by keeping this issue on the agenda and giving voice to the scientific consensus. Their message is not anti-industry - quite the opposite. They are urging government to support producers to adapt, innovate and stay competitive in a changing marketplace.
In an age where so many cancers are influenced by diet and lifestyle, the least we can do is remove known carcinogens from everyday food products. It is one of the simplest, most effective public health interventions available and one that would save lives.
We have a proud history of leadership in public health: from tackling smoking to improving food labelling and reducing salt and sugar. We can and should do the same for nitrites. It would be a fitting legacy to mark this ten-year anniversary not with more words, but with action.
As Professor Elliott put it this week, “nitrite use in processed meats is at the same level of carcinogenic risk as asbestos and tobacco – both of which have strict rules and restrictions.” The question for policy makers and industry is not whether we can act, but whether we choose to.
The time for caution has passed. We know the science, we have the solutions and we have a moral duty to protect public health. Now we need the leadership to match it.
Margaret Ritchie is a Labour Member of the House of Lords, a former Leader of the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party and Minister for Social Development in the Northern Irish Executive, and a supporter of the Coalition Against Nitrites.
